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Chapter 57

Rock gargoyles were?winged demons stronger than rock chameleons. It possessed strong pain tolerance, immense offensive power, and a camouflage ability that allowed it to blend into rocks. It didn’t have the rock chameleons’ poison, but its claws could easily cut off limbs.

Moreover, they were extremely sturdy. Compared to the rock chameleons, which bullets could pierce, their defense was unparalleled! They had to use magic with great penetrative power to get through it.

“... That’s about it.”

“That’s both amazing and surprising, but can you give us some instructions?! What should we do?”

Elisabeth stiffened with tension as she looked around. She had no idea when and where the attacks would come from. She didn’t even know what their opponents were. The other hunters appeared nervous to be up against a monster they had only ever seen now.

“Don’t worry. They’re cowards and are quick to run away. They’ve already left.”

Choi Yeonseung had kicked the rock to intimidate the gargoyles into retreating. A strong enough attack would frighten them, making them slip back into the rock wall and run away.

“Really?”

“If you don’t believe me, check it with magic.”

“... No. I believe you. We’re on the same team, and I have to save my magic power.”

She’d consume huge amounts of magic power if she had to keep checking their surroundings. Elisabeth wasn’t so stupid that she’d doubt her teammates. Wasn’t trusting one’s teammates the most basic foundation of all?

***

“What... ”

The analysts watching the situation were all taken aback. Antony was the type of person who would rather choose death than cooperate with others during a raid. What he was doing was a bit different from cooperation, but having him play as part of the team was an improvement in itself.

“That’s amazing. What is up with that man? To be able to deal with Schneider...”

“He’s an Abyss returnee, isn’t he? Is it because of accumulated experience?”

Since they knew what Antony was like, the analysts couldn’t help but admire Choi Yeonseung. Among the hunters who had done raids with Antony so far, some were stronger than Antony, while some were weaker. However, Choi Yeonseung was the first hunter to treat Antony like this. Ernest didn’t express it out loud, but he was amazed as well.

‘He has the qualities of a leader.’

Being strong alone didn’t mean one was fit to become a team leader. The leader of a raid team had to have multiple abilities. Aside from individual strength, they also had to be capable of leading and handling each hunter in the team! Like a seasoned hunter skillfully controlling a hound, Choi Yeonseung treated Antony calmly without even blinking.

Ernest began to like Choi Yeonseung, who was his favorite type of hunter, more and more.

‘The chairman was right...’

He finally believed what Hwang Gyeongryong told him in a call. Hwang Gyeongryong and Ernest were old hunters who preferred raiding dungeons over participating in sports. Instead of broadcasting, they would manage their schedule and immerse themselves in training for the next dungeon raid!

However, it was difficult to find similar people these days. Hwang Gyeongryong was fully aware of that, too. Hence, he didn’t bother asking Ernest to find like-minded hunters. He had regrets about that decision deep down, though. Ernest felt the same.

In the midst of this, a hunter of that exact type appeared! Hwang Gyeongryong wasn’t trying to take care of this hunter just because he was old friends with him. Rather, Hwang Gyeongryong was clearly expecting something more from him. Hwang Gyeongryong was an S-grade hunter, but even he needed companions.

‘His being a martial artist is a pity.’?Ernest thought.

Choi Yeonseung was obviously a great martial artist. He was one of the best even Ernest, who had come across quite a few martial artists, had ever seen. But...

The limits of martial arts were too clear, and that only became even more obvious?the higher they went.

“Ernest. Antony’s team is quickly moving inward.”

“Aren’t they too fast?”

The analysts’ reports awakened Ernest from his thoughts.

“They’re certainly quick, but they probably have something in mind.”

Raids should never be rushed. To calmly and patiently move forward and to observe one’s surrounding before leaping were iron-clad rules among hunters. After all, they could lose their lives in dungeons with the slightest carelessness. However, this wasn’t always possible. This training’s goal was to ‘clear the dungeon first despite several overlapping raid schedules.’ It narrowly set the pace between safety and efficiency! If they progressed too slowly, they’d lose to other teams.

“It’ll be a lesson in itself if they get wiped out.”

The Otherworld was so vivid it seemed no different from reality. If they were killed by a monster inside the Otherworld, they would be more careful in real life. Failure raised a hunter!

“But... Crossroads Trial is too unfavorable for the first team to enter it.”

“Luck is also a skill.”

The other analysts thought Ernest was joking. However, he was serious. Real dungeons were also unfair, and they wouldn\'t be able to complain if they died inside one. Hunters had to learn how to deal with them.

“Even so, this is a bit...”

The analysts shook their heads. Crossroads Trial was an undisclosed dungeon. Seventeen years ago, the Chinese government had to call a team of A-grade hunters to attack it! The monsters inside it were B-grade, but the dungeon was comparable to A-grade in terms of difficulty since it was tricky and wicked. The Chinese B-grade hunters who tried to raid it died one after another! In the end, the Chinese government went to its knees and called for help. In response, the A-grade hunters solved it.

Now the Icarus clan’s hunters were clearing such dungeons. If hunters knew about this, they’d immediately exclaim, ‘Ernest, that crazy bastard!’

However, Ernest was adamant.

-There are far more things to learn from raiding a difficult dungeon once than from clearing an easy dungeon a few times.

“There are also a few new recruits.”

“Dungeons don’t take into consideration the hunters’ circumstances.”

“Tsk tsk... They’re so unlucky...”

If they had joined last week, they would’ve encountered an easier dungeon. One of the reasons why the Crossroads Trial dungeon was notorious was due to the monsters. Aside from being strong, they were tricky to deal with! The rock chameleons had poison and camouflage skills, and there wasn’t that much information on rock gargoyles. Furthermore, they were intelligent and enjoyed trapping hunters. They would send out a few weak monsters toward raid teams as bait. Once they had drawn in the hunters aiming for those weak creatures, they attack all at once from all sides.

The gargoyles would split up if multiple teams headed to the center of the dungeon at the same time, putting the latter in a relatively safe situation. However, if a team were to reach the center ahead of others, they’d have to deal with the influx of gargoyles all by themselves.

Hence, the party deepest into the dungeon was at a huge disadvantage! That was the situation that Choi Yeonseung’s team was in.

“Isn’t the trap too much for Schneider and Gutierrez?”

“Smallwood is with them, but...”

“Whittaker is a decent healer, but there’s nothing he can do in this situation.”

The analysts discussed it in whispers. This was the trap that devoured the Chinese hunters 17 years ago. It started at the outskirts of the dungeon, wound its way through a narrow passage, and approached a clearing near the center. To break these camouflaged monsters’ trap, the hunters either had to overwhelm them with numbers or be capable of killing the gargoyles that would be coming in from all directions. If multiple teams attacked at the same time, the gargoyles would panic and scatter.

The former method was the best the analysts could think of! The latter was too unreasonable, after all.

‘Try to figure out the situation, then contact the other team as soon as possible.’

‘Forming an alliance would be for the best.’

Meanwhile, Choi Yeonseung’s team quickly broke through the passage. Thanks to Choi Yeonseung, the team was several times faster than usual. Yet the more this happened, the more nervous the analysts looked.

‘They’re nearing the trap.’

‘Stop... Stop! You idiots! Don’t act rashly!’

Sighs?burst out from the analysts the moment Choi Yeonseung’s team entered the clearing. They should’ve noticed it before they entered. It was too late now. It was impossible to defend against it!

If gargoyles popped out from all sides and attacked, at least two or three people would die here! However, what happened next broke their expectations.

-There are enemies everywhere! Prepare for battle!

“?! !”

“What? ?”

Choi Yeonseung’s reaction surprised the analysts.

“How did he know? Did he use detection magic?”

“It would be difficult to notice the gargoyles even with Intermediate Health Detection...”

“Does he have an artifact?”

“No. The sword is the only thing Choi Yeonseung has with him. I’ve never heard of it having any detection features.”

“Are martial artists capable of such things, Ernest?”

Ernest shook his head at the question. The sharp senses of a martial artist transcended imagination, but detecting the gargoyles approaching from the rock wall was on a different dimension. The moment Choi Yeonseung responded to the gargoyles’ attack, the monsters panicked. Frightened, they ran away. They immediately escaped the moment their opponent seemed stronger than expected.

“They... stopped it.”

“My god. They got through that?”

The analysts muttered in surprise.

“He seems to know what gargoyles are.”

“I don’t think information about them has leaked out. Did he come across them in the Abyss?”

“I think so. Considering he displayed such a skilled response, he’s likely aware of their existence.”

“I thought it would take him some time to adjust after being in the Abyss for so long...”

The public often said mistakes like, ‘Woah, you returned from the Abyss alive? Aren’t you more amazing than the hunters who do dungeon raids, then?’

Hunters had a hard time holding out for one or two weeks in a dungeon while Abyss returnees survived for far longer in the Abyss! If so, then Abyss returnees had to have really good skills!

… But that was an illusion.

The Abyss returnees were only able to survive because they were ‘lucky.’?They, fortunately, fell into a place with no monsters. They then lived desperately avoiding being discovered by one until they finally returned to Earth! There was no case where they beat up everyone they encountered like Choi Yeonseung. Otherwise, they would’ve died a long time ago.

Knowing this, hunters didn’t tell Abyss returnees, ‘Wow, you’re really powerful!’ Rather, ‘Wow, you’re lucky,’ or ‘You probably went through so much,’ was their common response! Moreover, it was only natural for Abyss returnees to have trouble adapting immediately. Before they could escape the Abyss, they had to keep hiding from dangerous monsters. They were fortunate they didn’t go crazy.

The analysts thought so as well. However, watching Choi Yeonseung caused those thoughts to crumble. His combat senses rose with the crisis. Though one’s combat senses would become dull if one rested for a few months after a raid, Choi Yeonseung moved like he never stopped raiding at all. It was as if he had been fighting fiercely until recently. Moreover, he seemed like a seasoned veteran in dealing with the rock gargoyles. The only explanation was that he had dealt with them in the Abyss.

‘Did he spend his time in the Abyss fighting monsters? Fighting them once or twice wouldn’t be enough to justify that.’

‘This is ridiculous. If you want to survive in the Abyss, you have to avoid combat, not participate in one.’

‘Still, this is making me think he actually fought in there.’

There was no other way to explain the current situation!

The analysts became really curious about what Choi Yeonseung had been doing in the Abyss! What was it... !